The shechita ban came about because of the introduction of a new animal welfare code mandating that animals killed for commercial consumption be “humanely killed”.
This would require them to be stunned before slaughter, which is prohibited under Jewish law.
Shechita has already been banned in countries including Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. But in addition to the New Zealand shechita ban, under Kiwi law no poultry, kosher or otherwise, can be imported in to a country which is home to about 7,000 Jews.
Henry Grunwald, chairman of Shechita UK, called the agreement “an important first step in the campaign to secure the long term safety of shechita in New Zealand.”